Pear Wood Pipes

BigSkyPiping

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about Pear Wood Pipes?  My mother in law gave me a couple Pear Wood Pipes for my birthday, but pear wood is not a pipe material that I am familiar with. I would appreciate any stories of people's experience with them and how they smoke, and any information they have about them and their care.

PappyJoe

@bigskypiping - I have several Pear Wood pipes from Mr. Brog. They are lighter than briar and are good smokers. I personally didn't get any off taste when breaking mine in and while not in my weekly rotation, I do smoke the 3 I have usually once a month. Here's what I've found. 

The ones I have work best when smoked slowly. The bowls do get hotter than a briar if smoked too fast. Not so hot you can't hold them but hotter. 

Like briar, they smoke best after you have some cake built up. I'm more particular about the amount of cake I let build up in mine though. I tend to grab a pear wood when I have some outdoor work to do or I'm in the garage.  

I view the Pear Wood pipes as a less expensive alternative to a factory briar and a good starter pipe for a beginner - sort of on the same level as a new Dr. Grabow drugstore pipe.

One of the positives - strictly from my opinion - is that I love the carving that is done on some pear wood pipes. I've seen some with sailing ships or eagles carved into the bowl that are beautiful.

drac2485

They are a common pipe wood. From experience they smoke a little hotter than briar and aren't as absorbent so goopier tobaccos gave me problems. They are great beginner or beater pipes though and I have friends that smoked them for years until they fell in love with cobs, he was a cheapskate and wouldn't buy a more expensive briar pipe. I have heard if you let too much cake build up or it get to hot they have a tendancy to crack much easier than briar. So from experience smoke slow and have pipe cleaners and they can be great pipes

Wolf41035

I like my Pear wood pipe and plan on making a couple out of pear wood.

ghostsofpompeii

I think I may currently have five pear wood pipes in my collection and to be honest I can't tell the difference between the cheaper pear woods and the more expensive Peterson's or Nordings, as to how they smoke. Once I learned to sip rather than puff like a locomotive I haven't had much trouble with excessive heat on any of the pipes unless I happen to be out on a windy day. Then all bets are off and the heat can build up no matter how controlled my breathing. The pipe smokes itself on a windy day.   

motie2

Most tobacco pipes are made from briar wood, although other materials commonly used are meerschaum, corn cobs, and cherry, pear or rosewood (considered lesser alternatives to briar being less hardy). Each material has its own history. I'm more familiar with rustic looking cherrywood pipes, but I'd be open to another fruit wood.

mfresa

Has anybody ever tried walnut wood for making a pipe?

mfresa

Sorry don't mean to hijack the thread.

motie2

Currently bog oak and strawberry wood are popular among some artisan pipe makers. Both have interesting grain patterns that can be brought out further with sandblasting. Unlike briar, most fruitwoods, bog oak, and strawberry wood will not accept color stain well, nor do they achieve that beautiful patina of a well smoked briar.